Web Development

FeedHenry Serves Up HTML5 Node.js Platform

By Adrian Bridgwater, January 23, 2012

JavaScript programming aligned with fluid backend I/O functionality

FeedHenry has launched a solution for developers to build HTML5, JavaScript, and hybrid apps with an integrated Node.js backend-as-a-service layer. The company has set out to create a mobile app Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), which allows developers to use JavaScript skills to build a mobile app client, alongside backend functionality that leverages the event-driven I/O architecture of the Node.js environment.

By building inside one single code base, FeedHenry logically argues that developers will increase their efficiency and speed app development time. Inside the FeedHenry studio, developers are presented with the option to build complex mobile apps using HTML5 and JavaScript that will run as native apps on all major smartphones and tablet devices.

These apps can be developed using any third-party JavaScript library or HTML5 UI/UX toolkit and connect through RESTful API calls to a server-side backend. This server-side business and integration logic is developed in Node.js using JavaScript. Developers can use any of the company's standard APIs for integration, caching, storage, or encryption and programmers are also free to include other third-party JavaScript libraries.

At build-time, the client code is pushed to a build farm where the native binary is created; the server-side code is staged with a single command to the FeedHenry cloud (or to any public or private cloud supporting Node.js). The mobile application platform automatically synchronizes the app client with the Node.js backend and provides scaling as well as built-in redundancy, lifecycle management, and reporting.

"As enterprises mature with their mobility initiatives and start getting into more sophisticated apps where they need complex integration with the backend and the cloud, the play will shift to the server side," said Cathal McGloin, CEO, FeedHenry. "The server side will become a crucial part of every mobile initiative as enterprises see how much more they can do with apps to increase revenue and boost employee productivity. Apps are fast becoming the new tool within organizations, but with that there's the headache on the server side with security, scalability, performance, and management. With Node.js, FeedHenry's mobile application platform offers an easy way to build mobile app solutions for the enterprise that takes care of the server side functionality."

Note: As many readers will know, Node.js is a development tool that is specifically designed for server-side execution; it offers a high degree of efficiency and performance via an event-driven I/O environment and is ideal for building sophisticated mobile apps that require integration to backend systems. Additionally, developers can access the FeedHenry AppStudio development environment, or download the FHC (FeedHenry Command Line tool) using npm (the node package manager) and the same programming language for the entire solution. FeedHenry's server-side business and integration logic is developed in Node.js using JavaScript.

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